Ever a Vision

Ever a Vision narrates the fifty-year history of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Donald McKim expertly tells the seminary's story, from its first days after the consolidation of its two predecessors -- Western Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary of the United Presbyterian Church in North America -- through today.

McKim describes the tensions encountered in bringing together these two different faculties from denominations which, though both Presbyterian, represented different theological emphases. He recounts the seminary's growth, its struggles, its various curricula and presidents, and examines the concerns and activities of its students through these five decades. Finally, he chronicles the latest chapter of the seminary's development in which its financial condition has been strengthened, its curriculum stabilized, and its vision for the future sharpened.

"Don McKim is an accomplished scholar, theologian, church historian, teacher, author, and editor. Even though he has been away from Pittsburgh Seminary for most of his distinguished career, he has always had, like me, a fondness for the place. So this excellent book is a real labor of love. . . .

"We here are learning each day how to live together, eat together, worship together, and teach together, because everyone is here in the name of Jesus Christ. We are moving into a very bright future where real friendship in Christ means we have the right to disagree, knowing that mutual respect and affection are not at stake -- something we are modeling for both students and pastors and, through them, for the whole church. . . . Read this intriguing story of how we got here."
-- William J. Carl III
president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
from the foreword